GB2158630A

GB2158630A - Stabilising frame for a portable sign

Info

Publication number: GB2158630A
Application number: GB08411789A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Geoffrey Hulse
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-05-09
Filing date: 1984-05-09
Publication date: 1985-11-13
Also published as: GB8411789D0; GB2158630B

Abstract

A sign 30 eg a road sign is fastened on top of resilient means, such as coil springs 14, 15, which project upwardly from an elongate base member 10. For stability, the base member 10 has feet 17, 18, 19, 20 which in an operative position extend at right angles to the base member but which can be folded about pivot pins 27 into an inoperative position parallel with the base member 10 for storage and transportation. Transverse metal rods 29 prevent the feet from pivoting beyond the perpendicular positions and the feet ends are chamfered to allow for ease of movement. The coil springs 14, 15 are attached to the base member 10 by screws and bolts. The springs may be directly attached the sign or indirectly attached through an upper member 16. The sign may include a lamp 31. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Stabilising frame for a portable sign This invention relates to a stabilising frame for a portable sign.

Hitherto, portable road signs, such as those used to indicate temporary road works, temporary traffic lights, diversions or accidents, have been provided with integral support frames rather like easels.

That is to say, the lower edge of the sign is formed with two short dependent front legs, which may have a cross-piece therebetween, and a pair of longer back legs, which may also have a crosspiece therebetween, are hingedly attached to the reverse side of the sign. For storage the back legs are folded flat against the reverse side of the sign.

When the sign is to be used the back legs are simply swung out so that the sign is supported on four legs.

The construction of these portable signs is simple and they are, of course, easy to erect. However, they are unstable and easily blown over by gusts of wind or knocked over by pedestrians or slight impacts from passing vehicles. This is, of course, dangerous to passing traffic. It also leads to considerable damage to the signs, particularly to the legs which are easily buckled. Most damaged signs do not stand upright and are even more prone to toppling over than before. In an attempt to stabilize such signs or keep damaged signs upright, heavy objects such as sandbags or blocks of concrete may be placed against the legs or over the crosspieces.

This just leads to even more damage to the signs. Indeed, such signs are so easily damaged that the last only about six weeks before they have to be replaced at considerable expense to the local authorities and other bodies concerned.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a support frame for a portable road sign which confers greater stability on such a sign than hitherto so that both damage to the sign and the risk of injury to the public are minimized.

With this object in view, the present invention provides a stabilising frame for a portable sign comprising an elongate base member supporting upwardly projecting resilient means which are adapted for attachment to the sign and having feet which are foldable between an operative position transverse to the base member and an inoperative position substantially in alignment with the base member.

In the extended operative position the feet impart considerable stability to the frame, particularly when they are made of heavy material, such as cast iron or steel.

The resilient means may, in use, be attached directly to a sign if the latter has a convenient lower rim. However, an upper elongate member may be supported above the resilient means substantially parallel to the base member, which upper member is then attached to the lower edge of the sign. To facilitate such attachment, which may simply be by bolting, the upper member is preferably L-shaped in cross section.

The resilient means are preferably in the form of a pair of coil springs. These are conveniently attached to the base member towards respective ends thereof. Advantageously, a nylon screw is fitted into each end of each spring, the screws at the lower end of each spring being bolted to the base member. The screws at the upper end of each spring are either intended for direct attachment to the sign or are bolted to the upper member. Tests have proven that this is the most satisfactory manner of securing the springs in position.

Obviously, the springs impart a certain resilience to the entire structure of the frame and the sign attached thereto so that the force of minor knocks or gusts of wind are absorbed without causing the combined structure to topple over.

Preferably, the base member has two pivotally mounted feet at each end. The two feet at each end then pivot in opposite directions when moving between respective operative and inoperative positions.

So that the feet may be identical, yet also level with each other at all times, the feet are preferably mounted at separate pivot points. Making the feet identical obviously simplifies production of the frame.

The base member is conveniently in the shape of an I with the feet pivotably mounted on the transverse ends portions of the I. For strength, such an I-shaped based member is preferably formed by the welding together of three elements of L-shaped cross-section.

Advantageously, the base member incorporates stop means to prevent the feet pivoting relative to the base member further than an optional operative position substantially perpendicular to the base member.

A lamp may be attached midway along the base member so that the sign when attached to the frame is illuminated at night.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure l is a perspective view of a preferred practical embodiment of the stabilising frame of the invention with a portable road sign attached thereto, one foot of the frame being broken away; Figure 2 is a front view of the frame of Fig. 1 to an enlarged scale schowing the feet in both operative and inoperative positions and showing only a part of the sign attached thereto; and Figure 3 is a fragmentary underside plan view of the frame of Fig. 1 to an enlarged scale showing the feet in both operative and inoperative positions.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a preferred practical embodiment of the frame of the invention comprises an elongate base member 10 formed by three metal elements 11, 12, 13 of L- shaped crosssection welded together in the shape of an I. Upwardly projecting resilient means in the form of two coil springs 14, 15 of equal length are attached to the main element 12 of the base member 10. An upper member 16, also of L-shaped cross-section, is supported above the springs 14, 15 parallel to the base member 10.

Two feet 17, 18 and 19, 20 respectively, also of metal and also formed of strips of L-shaped crosssection are pivotally attached to the elements 11, 13 respectively which provide the transverse and portions of the I-configuration of the base member 10.

The springs 14, 15 are about 6 inches (15cm) long and, as shown in Fig. 2, the shaft 22 of a nylon screw 21 of an appropriate diameter is fitted into each end of each spring, the screw-threads of the screw shafts 22 securely interengaging the coils of the respective springs 14, 15. The head 23 of each screw 21 is specially formed with a recess 24 around the shaft 22 for reception of the terminal coils of the respective ends of the springs 14, 15.

The head 23 of each screw 21 is also formed with a screw-threaded bore extending into the respective shaft. The screws 21 at the lower ends of the respective springs 14, 15 are connected to the element 12 of the base member 10 towards the respective ends thereof by mans of bolts 25 projecting through openings in the element 12 and engaging in the aforesaid bores in the screws 21.

The screws 21 at the upper ends of the respective springs 14, 15 are similarly connected to the upper member 16 by bolts 26.

The feet 17 and 18 are of equal length (about 12 inches (30cm) long) and they are attached to the element 11 at separate pivot points (see Fig. 3) which are arranged at the same distance from the respective ends of the element 11. As best shown in Fig. 2, the feet 17 and 18 are pivotally mounted by means of respective spring-biassed bolts 27 which project down through apertures in the element 11 and the feet 17, 18 and are secured by respective nuts 28. The spring-biassing means that the degree of tightening of the nuts 28 relative to the bolts 27 is adjustable so that the ease with which the feet 17, 18 can be swung relative to the base member 10 may be varied. Nevertheless the action of the respective springs ensures that the connections are secure and the feet 17, 18 remain at all times substantially horizontal and in face to face contact with the element 11.

The feet 19 and 20 are pivotally mounted on the element 13 in identical manner.

The ends of the feet 17, 18, 19, 20, which are closest to the respective pivot points come into contact when the feet are swung into operative position as shown in Fig. 3. So that movement is not hindered, these ends are champfered. As also indicated in Fig. 3, stop means in the form of a transverse metal rod 29 is provided at each end of the element 12 of the base member 10.

The operation of the frame will be readily understood from the foregoing. A sign 30, in this case a triangular sign which is indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 by dot-dash lines, is secured to the upper member 16. (It may firstly be necessary to remove the easel-like legs described in the introduction). Where the sign has a lower rim, as in this case, it may be secured by means of the bolts 26 which fasten the upper member 16 onto the screws 21 of the springs 14, 15. Where the sign does not posses such a rim its lower edge may simply be bolted to the upright limb of the L-shaped upper member 16.

When the sign is to be positioned at a road side, the feet 17,18,19,20 are swung outwardly of the element 12 of the base member 10 to their operative positions perpendicular to said element 12, as shown in Fig. 1 and as indicated in solid lines in Fig. 3. The respective feet 17 and 18 and 19 and 20 at each end are, of course swung away from each other. The respective stop means 29 prevent the feet from pivoting beyond the aforesaid perpendicular positions. The ease with which the feet 17, 18, 19, 20 may be swung into their operative positions is set by adjusting the spring- biassed bolts 27. If it is desired to fix this permanently, the springs may be spot welded or tapped so that they deform and thus maintain the predetermined suitable tension.

When the sign is no longer required to be displayed at the road side and is to be removed and stored or taken elsewhere, the feet 17, 18, 19, 20 are simply swung inwardly to an inoperative position substantially parallel with the element 12, as indicated in dot-dash lines in Figs. 2 and 3. This renders the structure more compact.

For use at night, a lamp 31 (shown in Fig. 1 in dot-dash lines) may be attached mid-way along the element 12 and for this purpose an aperture 32 is provided centrally of the element 12.

For ease of handling, signs which are fastened to such stabilizing frames may have plastic handles attached at the top.

The above-described frame has been formed to provide an extremely stable support for a road sign. Wind blowing at speeds of up to 80 m.p.h.

does not cause the combined structure of frame and sign to overturn. This is partly due to the stable base provided by the transverse feet and partly due to the resilience of the springs. It will thus be appreciated that the risk of injury to the public from the toppling over and misplacement of such signs is minimised when they are attached to a frame of this sort. Moreover damage to the frame itself and the cost of replacement is much reduced compared to previously known signs/frames.

It should be understood that the illustrated embodiment which has been described in detail is only one example of the frame in accordance with the invention. Many variations are possible within the scope of the claims. For example, the upper member may be omitted altogether and the springs attached directly to the lower edge of a sign. Moreover, there may be more than two springs and more or less than four feet. Also, the shapes, materials and dimensions of the various components may be different to those described.

Claims

1. A stabilising frame for a portable sign comprising an elongate base member supporting upwardly projecting resilient means which are adapted for attachment to the sign and having feet which are foldable between an operative position transverse to the base member and an inoperative position substantially in alignment with the base member.

2. A stabilising frame as claimed in claim 1 wherein an upper elongate member is supported above the resilient means, substantially parallel to the base member.

3. A stabilising frame as claimed in claim 2 wherein the upper member is L-shaped in crosssection.

4. A stabilising frame as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the resilient means are in the form of a pair of coil springs.

5. A stabilising frame as claimed in claim 4 wherein a nylon screw is fitted into each end of each spring, the screws at the lower end of each spring being bolted to the base member.

6. A stabilising frame as claimed in claim 5 wherein the screws at the upper end of each spring either are intended for direct attachment to the sign or are bolted to the upper member.

7. A stabilising frame as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the base member has two pivotally mounted feet at each end.

8. A stabilising frame as claimed in claim 7 wherein the two feet at each end are mounted at separate pivot points.

9. A stabilising frame as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the base member is in the shape of an I and the feet are pivotally mounted on the transverse end portions of the I.

10. A stabilising frame as claimed in claim 9 wherein the base member is formed by three elements of L-shaped cross- section welded together.

11. A stabilising frame for a portable sign substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

11. A stabilising frame as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the base member incorporates stop means to prevent the feet pivoting relative to the base member further than an optimal operative position substantially perpendicular to the base member.

12. A stabilising frame as claimed in any preceding claim including a lamp attached midway along the base member.

13. A stabilising frame for a portable sign substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed, and have the following effect: (b) New or textually amended claims have been filed as follows:

1. A stabilising frame for a portable sign comprising an elongate, generally horizontal base member supporting upwardly projecting resilient means in the form of two spaced apart coil springs, which are adapted for attachment to the sign, and having two pivotally mounted feet at each end which are swingable in a generally horizontal plane between an operative position transverse to the base member and an inoperative postion substantially in alignment with the base member.

4. A stabilising frame as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a nylon screw is fitted into each end of each spring, the screws at the lower end of each spring being bolted to the base member.

5. A stabilising frame as claimed in claim 4 wherein the screws at the upper end of each spring either are intended for direct attachment to the sign or are bolted to the upper member.

6. A stabilising frame as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the two feet at each end are mounted at separate pivot points.

7. A stabilising frame as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the base member is in the shape of an I and the feet are pivotably mounted on the transverse end portions of the I.

8. A stabilising frame as claimed in claim 7 wherein the base member is formed by three elements of L-shaped cross- section welded together.

9. A stabilising frame as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the base member incorporates stop means to prevent the feet swinging relative to the base member further than an optimal operative position substantially perpendicular to the base member.

10. A stabilising frame as claimed in any preceding claim including a lamp attached midway along the base member.